Coffee & Conversation with Zaman International’s Najah Bazzy

Impact100 Metro Detroit hosted its first virtual “Coffee and Conversation” event on March 26, 2020. Over 50 members joined 2019 grant recipient Najah Bazzy, Founder and CEO of Zaman International Hope for Humanity, for an informative and inspiring talk. Over the course of an hour, Najah and our members shared questions and answers about how to help in today’s crisis. The discussion covered meeting the physical and emotional needs of vulnerable people, as well as taking care of ourselves while we care for others. As a former critical care nurse, and the leader of a nonprofit providing vital services, Najah is an important resource for all of us as we navigate a world that looks very different from the one we are accustomed to.

“In the darkness of this disease, we can be a lighthouse.” With this opening thought, Najah spoke of what Zaman needs right now to support the at risk members of our community. “We are blowing through our emergency food boxes,” she said, so the most critical need is food. The best way to help is to donate money. As an organization, Zaman has access to bulk food that the rest of us don’t. They are already partnering with Gleaner’s Food Bank and the Church of the Latter Day Saints for many items, and is calling on I100 MD to help add some protein to those items. With help from us and others, Zaman can feed a family of 4 for a week for $25. To that end, Impact100 Metro Detroit will be issuing a challenge for all members who are able to donate $25.25 each. The goal is to feed 100 families or more. By adding the 25 cents to each donation, we and Zaman will be able to see the impact we are having by working together. Look for more information on the Impact100 Metro Detroit website and social media platforms.

In addition to providing food assistance, Zaman has always offered emotional support to its clients, all of who bear the burden of poverty, but many of whom also have survived war and other horrors in their home countries. This support is even more critical now, as these survivors now have to navigate a new danger. Zaman’s team of social workers has continued to provide care over the phone.

In addition to letting us know how we can help her, Najah shared her knowledge with us as we all navigate through this crisis. As a critical care nurse, she offered advice on staying safe and protecting others. In addition to reminding us to stay home, she provided tips on safe grocery shopping (wear gloves, maintain distance, and wipe all packaged items with disinfectant before putting them away), and reminded us to wash our hands and stay away even from family members who don’t live with us. And she offered positive thoughts to help us maintain calm in a changed world.

Impact100 Metro Detroit would like to thank Najah, and our members, for joining together in the spirit of help and hope. We will continue to look for opportunities in the coming weeks to provide ways in which we can maintain our connectedness, something that will continue to be very important as the country, and the world, heals.